Russia is one of ten least peaceful countries in the world, according to the 2009 Global Peace Index released Tuesday by Australian-based research group Institute for Economics & Peace. The institute rated the relative tranquility of 144 nations according to 23 indicators, including gun sales, the number of homicides, the size of the military, the potential for terrorism and the number of people in jail.

The ten least peaceful countries in the world are Zimbabwe, Russia, Pakistan, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Israel, Somalia, Afghanistan and, in last place, Iraq. Russia ranked 136th on the 2009 index, compared to 131 in 2008, and 118 in 2007. The most peaceful country in the world is New Zealand, followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Austria, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Finland, and Slovenia.

Russia ranked badly on such indicators as perceptions of criminality in society and the level of distrust in other citizens, deemed 4 on a scale of 1-5. Respect for human rights is also very low in Russia, with imprisonment for political activity, unlimited detention, with or without trial, for political views, politically-motivated executions or political murders, disappearances, and torture being commonplace.

In a qualitative assessment of the level of political instability, Russia ranked 2.75 on a scale of 1-5. The indicator addresses the degree to which political institutions are sufficiently stable to support the needs of its citizens, businesses, and foreign investors. The functioning of government was ranked 2.86 out of 10, indicating that Russia's system of checks and balances on government is severely lacking.